Mayor's View: Recreation trails part of Freeport's future

Last week I discussed the importance of basic manufacturing jobs in Northwest Illinois. I argued that we should use every tool available to us to retain, expand and bring new jobs to the area — including tools like the state-authorized enterprise zones.

By Jim Gitz

Journal Standard

By Jim Gitz

Posted Jul. 28, 2013 at 12:01 AM
Updated Jul 28, 2013 at 3:08 PM

By Jim Gitz

Posted Jul. 28, 2013 at 12:01 AM
Updated Jul 28, 2013 at 3:08 PM

Last week I discussed the importance of basic manufacturing jobs in Northwest Illinois. I argued that we should use every tool available to us to retain, expand and bring new jobs to the area — including tools like the state-authorized enterprise zones.

This week I would like to discuss another aspect of economic development — recreational trails. We have two projects underway that are long overdue — the Jane Addams Trail and the Pecatonica Prairie Path. Both will bring people, more business and new opportunities to Freeport when they connect to Tutty’s Crossing along the riverfront.

The operative word is “when.”

When I left office in 2005, work on these trails was underway but far from finished. Eight years later, we are still waiting for Tutty’s Crossing to bring dollar 1 to Freeport.

The city of Freeport invested significant time and resources in Tutty’s Crossing. Some 20 years ago, we began the environmental cleanup of the old Burgess Battery site using U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Illinois EPA funds. Developing the site as a trailhead arose out of the opportunity to use the cleanup and grants as catalysts for a riverfront project that would add value to the local economy. That was the plan, but it has been slow to take form.

The good news is that we expect to complete construction on the remaining sections of the Jane Addams Trail next year. The trail would then run from Tutty’s Crossing in downtown Freeport to Wisconsin. (The section north of Freeport has been complete and in use for close to 10 years.)

The Jane Addams Trail link to Tutty’s Crossing is scheduled to be on the Illinois Department of Transportation bid list this November for construction in 2014. The trail will run over city streets to the restored Van Buren Street Bridge, angle northwest to Route 26, cross the highway, and run along the west side of Route 26, connecting with the existing Jane Addams path close to the Baymont Inn.

What’s the big deal?

Well, for decades communities all over the Midwest have been collecting the benefits of recreational trails — including the tourist dollars generated by them. Communities have enjoyed a steady stream of visitors who buy gas and food, stay at local hotels, shop at local stores and take in local sights.

In 2010, the University of Wisconsin completed a study of the benefits of bicycling and trails in that state. The study reported a total annual economic impact of $924,211,000 and 13,193 jobs for Wisconsin.

Come again? The statewide impact is millions of dollars — not thousands. And, we are about to fully connect into the Wisconsin system through Monroe.

The village of Orangeville has been reaping the benefits of the trail for years as they’ve seen bicyclists visit their town, stop and spend money in their shops, and hold special events that bring even more visitors to the village. Now, city residents will enjoy those same benefits — plus the added quality of life of a trail system to complement our parks.

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We have the same opportunity going east by means of the Pecatonica Prairie Path. If completed, we can have riders coming from both directions to Freeport. We can be a crossroads running from Madison to Freeport — and from Freeport all the way to downtown Rockford and beyond to the Chicago suburbs. And, we can make this investment in the future with grant funds that make the local cost share nominal.

Recreational trails will not make or break our economy. But they can play a role in improving the quality of life for all of us and helping create a thriving, vibrant city to live, work and visit. They are a piece of the puzzle. Now is the time to make it happen.